Black Heart: A Bomb Girls Story
Author's Note:
Ever since I finished the first season of Bomb Girls, unlike a lot of viewers that I've encountered, I fully believe that Kate (Marion) has romantic feelings for, Betty. There are numerous reasons as to why I think this way but I'm not going to get into that right now. Anyway, the "kiss" in episode six really got me thinking about what may have been running through, Kate's head at the time. So, without further ado, here is what I believe could have been Kate's thoughts during that heart breaking scene in episode six.
Enjoy and review!
Blue eyes trace each curve and swell of Betty's body as she slowly maneuvers herself onto the piano bench, straddling it. Kate never ceases to be mesmerized by the blonde. Whether it be an expressive gaze, or a mere gesture, the younger woman is captivated by the tight precision of each move; rough enough to seem improvised, and yet thoroughly calculated all the same. These are the types of contradictions about Betty that the redhead adores; the complexities that make her gaze gravitate toward the older woman as her heart silently skips a beat.
"Shouldn't you be lying down?" Kate asks softly, a luminous smile creasing her features as the words leave her mouth. "It's just a sore shoulder," the blonde breathes, swinging her leg over the wooden bench; her fingers lightly stroke the keys evoking a small gathering of beautiful notes to arise from the piano.
Kate quickly shuffles her slender frame to the end of the bench, until she can feel her thigh gently brush against, Betty's. A blanket of warmth and safety cover the younger woman as her hand leisurely runs the length of the blonde's arm.
"You're sounding good," the older woman states, rolling her shoulders in contentment. "It still needs some work," Kate sighs, letting her fingers make circles along her companion's back. Her ministrations cease momentarily as she feels a large lump forming on Betty's shoulder. Her breath lightly catches in her throat as she recollects the accident at the factory earlier in the day; the redhead has never been that frightened in all her life. So many things—so many terrifying things from her past flash behind her eyes, and yet the young woman cannot remember a single moment where she felt more fear than when she witnessed Betty in danger.
She remembers amicably speaking with Vera and Betty as they worked the stencil line; the same station that caused Vera's injury. When out of nowhere a sharp, terrified scream arose throughout the factory. Kate's gaze fell toward Vera as the blonde began waving her arms frantically, causing the projectiles to swing back and forth violently. The young woman stumbled away from the dangerous objects until she saw Betty standing in the way of the projectiles as she consoled, Vera.
A soft cry of pain wafted into the commotion, reaching Kate's ears; it was Betty's voice. The redhead's eyes widened as her heart began to beat incredibly quickly. So fast in fact, that she could feel her entire body rattling from the pressure. Her lungs felt crippled and broken and her breathing wouldn't seem to flow properly. "Don't be hurt, don't be hurt…" The young woman prayed, as her hands balled into fists. Kate shook her head and ignored all of these things and quickly found her way beside, Betty, deftly stopping the explosives from swinging.
As the factory began to calm down, and everyone restarted their work, Kate never left Betty's side; her hands tightly grasping the blonde's larger ones. The young woman couldn't imagine what she would have done had anything bad happened to Betty; her heart ached from the very thought.
The young woman was in a complete daze, all she wanted to do was wrap the blonde within her arms and hold her for as long as she could; to keep Betty safe within the blanket of her hands. All of these emotions sent crashing waves throughout Kate's mind, and she only wished she could tell Betty exactly what was running through her mind; the pain, relief, and the indescribable shivers that raced up her spine as their fingers touched. But her feelings were too broad, and she couldn't seem to put them into words. So, the redhead merely squeezed Betty's hands more firmly, and gazed deeply into her eyes. "When I saw those projectiles swinging at you, my heart stopped…"
The memory waxed and waned throughout her cerebrum as her fingertips pressed delicate kisses against the blonde's swollen shoulder. "That's a nasty lump there," Kate said softly, "does it hurt?" Betty turned her dark, sparkling gaze on the younger woman momentarily, and Kate felt her heart flutter involuntarily. "Nah," the older woman answered nonchalantly; her eyes sliding shut as the redhead's hand wandered up her back to rub the base of her neck, "it feels good."
"Y'know, I use to sing to feel something…" Kate began, her gaze drifting away from, Betty as her mind whirred in thought. "…now it's more like I feel something and I sing." This time, as the redhead's words flittered through her lips she tilted her head so that she could look at the blonde once more. She couldn't help but to believe that one of the main reasons why her life had changed so abundantly and positively was due to the woman sitting beside her on the piano bench. The tough, feisty blonde that could stop a man in his tracks with a simple gaze had miraculously became Kate's source of happiness—her savior.
Betty lifted her eyes to meet Kate's gentle gaze, her pale eyes glowing with unspoken adoration and love. The older woman's heart swelled and her breath hitched as she reached toward, Kate and wrapped her fingers around a small hand. Slowly, she lifted the palm to her lips and gently kissed the tender flesh. The young woman's hand nearly burst into flames as she felt fire flow through her veins; she couldn't remember anyone touching her as softly and lovingly as Betty did, and it never ceased to surprise her with a new sensation.
"I really like you, Kate," the blonde whispered her dark eyes boring into the younger woman's. "I like you, too, Betty." Kate shook her head in slight confusion, for some reason as she finished speaking the words tasted bitter and untrue against her tongue. Of course she liked, Betty. Betty was her best friend, and yet when she declared her feelings for her they felt invalid, as if the word "like" couldn't possibly describe the numerous emotions and sensations that the blonde awoke within her. But before her thoughts could process completely she watched, awestruck, as Betty leaned forward; her warm breath caressing Kate's cheek as the blonde's lips fell upon the younger woman's.
Blue eyes fluttered shut as the kiss enveloped her in its tender arms. Kate's mind ran rampant with thoughts as her lips parted to receive, Betty's physical declaration of love. But, as the younger woman's thoughts continued the only image that remained was that of her father; his eyes dark with disgust as he whipped her sin away. Her eyes flew open then, and she quickly pushed the blonde away from her frantically.
"What are you doing?" she gasped, her knees shaking as she stood. "W—well you said—you said…" Betty's words came out in stilted stutters as her eyes became downcast with guilt, pain and utter heartbreak. "What do you think I am?" Kate questioned, exasperated. She felt invaded, as if everyone in the bar, including, Betty, had been reading her thoughts. As if they all knew how she felt about the blonde, and the short lived kiss they shared. Kate felt sick; her stomach was in knots, and she could feel her palms sweating as she tried to make sense out of what had just transpired.
"Nothing…Nuh—I…um…I'm sorry. It's stupid. I, look, I—I—I didn't…I—I thought…" As Betty tried to speak, the redhead's heart began to drop, she knew what she would have to do, and she quickly interrupted the blonde as she tried to stumble through her apologies. "That's disgusting! And if you can't see that then you're disgusting, too!"
Once the words were blurted out, Kate wished she could reach into the air and gather them all and shove them back down her throat before they reached Betty's ears. But she couldn't. And her heart broke as she watched the older woman's face fall, her eyes filling with tears. With one last glance, Betty quickly walked past the redhead, grabbed her coat and left the bar as fast as her legs could carry her.
As, Kate watched the blonde leave she could hear her mind screaming to stop her. But she couldn't. She couldn't let her heart feel the things that it was feeling; it wasn't suppose to fall in love with a woman—it wasn't suppose to become black with sin. But it was, and it made her hate herself. There was nothing in the world she could do about the way, Betty made her feel, it was wrong…she was disgusting. And, yet, as she heard the door of the bar slam shut she couldn't help the tears from prickling behind her eyes as she realized she had pushed away one of the only people who had actually loved her.